Sondheim's Road Show on CD

A new recording of a Stephen Sondheim show is always a reason to, if not celebrate, at least pay attention. And when the show itself is new, or at least contains a significant amount of fresh material, even better. So, although Road Show could not, in the strictest sense of the word, be called new, it does represent a chance to witness the latest work by our greatest living composer and lyricist.

As you may know, Road Show is the most recent version of a musical that Sondheim and librettist John Weidman have been working on for years. In fact, the score has already been recorded, under the title Bounce. Which means that we musical-theater mavens now have a terrific opportunity to compare the two recordings and witness how the show has developed over time.

Of course, the experience would be that much better if the show itself were any good. Alas, it is not. In comparing the two recordings, it's clear that the show has improved greatly since its out-of-town tryouts in Chicago and Washington, DC. Most of the changes and cuts have been for the better. But ultimately Road Show will likely take its place alongside such fascinating Sondheim failures as Anyone Can Whistle and Merrily We Roll Along: musical works that have a tremendous amount going for them, but somehow never have, and never will, work as shows.

As is true with most Sondheim scores, repeated hearings of the Road Show recording have revealed a great deal of substance and subtext. I was particularly struck by Sondheim's use of leitmotif, or in this particular case contrafactum: the songs "Gold" and "Land Boom" share the same melody, as do a few other sections of the show that all connote some sort of persuasion or salesmanship. Although most of the show's ballads remain colorless and dull, Sondheim has tuned up considerably the show's uptempo musical sequences, including "Addison's Trip" and "I Love This Town," which here becomes the rousing "That Was a Year." There have also been a number of wisely excised numbers in the transition from Bounce to Road Show, including "Opportunity," "What's Your Rush," and "Next to You."

But I'm still left with the same overall impression I had when I saw the show at the Public Theater: that this is a show that must have seemed compelling on paper, but that fails to bring its characters and subject matter to sympathetic life. (Read my review) The key problem with Road Show is that we don't care about these people. I watched the show and listened to the CD with academic interest, but I never found myself actually feeling for anyone, despite the cast of theater pros, led by Alexander Gemignani and Michael Cerveris.

Of course, Stephen Sondheim could stop working entirely and still be the most important figure in musical theater of the past 50 years. His contributions to the form have been immeasurable, both in terms of his own professional output and his influence on other creators. How fortunate we would be if he could someday create another show on par with his best. If not, his rich and ample body of work remains to satisfy and inspire for generations to come.

Comments

[Matt]

I caved and bought Road Show even though I'd promised myself in writing that I wouldn't.

I've tried so hard to like Bounce, but I can't. Even so, I still prefer it to Road Show. Who knows, maybe this new version will grow on me.

[Sammy J]

You know, I have to say I agree with everything you say. I've only just bought Road Show and listened to it for the first time - and I haven't yet listened to Bounce - so my thoughts obviously want some maturing and rumination, but even just listening to it, I keep thinking: "Merrily We Roll Along"! or "Anyone Can Whistle"! at every little melody.

I don't think Sondheim will ever make another Follies, or another Sweeney Todd. And I agree with you that that doesn't worry me. I've spent the last few months collecting so many Sondheim recordings, and I absolutely adore his body of work. And I also accept what he says in the CD liner notes, that this is just a "modest little musical comedy"... but it saddens me a little bit that he has stepped backward.

There's one little one-bar theme in Into the Woods which I swear comes from a moment in Sunday. I think that, as Sondheim got older, he became more interested in conforming to his own specifications for the show, rather than necessarily thinking about originality or "objectively" artistic merit. I guess in the end my point is that it's a pity that he couldn't crown his career with something glorious. (Perhaps he could at least authorise some definitive recordings in his old age ala Leonard Bernstein?)

Well, I'll keep listening to it until I know it, and I'll give Bounce a listen after that, but - though I hope to see Road Show on stage one day - I think it'll probably have to sit in the back of my Sondheim shelf alongside Into the Woods, sadly.